We didn't get out to last weekend's Irish Fair & Music Festival at the Fairplex in Pomona. Digital existence does have its drawbacks. Consequently, our forays into the analog world are mostly hypothetical. It's awful hard to get around when all you have are zeros and ones for limbs. And don't get us started on opposable thumbs.
Anyway, Meg at M-M-M-My Pomona didn't get out to the event either. But her hairstylist did, and reported back, via Meg:
Appalling fact no. 1: $16 entry plus $9 parking makes for a hefty pricetag.
Appalling fact no. 2: NO IRISH BEER! They only served Budweiser products. Well, apparently they sold Michelob too -- for the appearance of the fancy. But ferchrissakes, Anheuser-Busch owns Bass -- how hard would it be to sell a little Irish beer? And don't say it's the Fairplex contract, because you can get non-Budelob beers when the LA County Fair is on.
That's always the disappointing part about venturing out into the world. There's a certain chance, however small, of the Araby effect occurring. The bazaar is never quite so splendid as the imagination makes it out to be, and it's often overpriced to boot. But if you go next year, do bring us back something from the fair.
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Speaking of product placement....
We received an email regarding 66-year-old Claremonter Jim Hickey, who likes to skydive and who plugs vegetable juice beverages in his spare time. Wow, he coulda had a....
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And then we heard this bit of non-commercial news from Claremont Graduate University, where the School of Information Systems and Technology (SISAT) has developed a pilot program to create health information kiosks that work like ATMs. According to CGU's information:
These interactive stations will allow people without healthcare to get a health card and have access to their records, order prescriptions, and set up appointments. The program is as easy to use as an ATM, and is a novel way to address how to help those without healthcare coverage. If the program goes well, it may be a turning point in healthcare for 50 million Americans.
SISAT and CGU are understandably excited about their system because of all the talk about converting healthcare records and information into digital forms, as well as the money the Obama administration wants to devote to that endeavor. CGU's received an $80,000 grant to fund a nine-month pilot program aimed at low-income clinic patients in the Los Angeles area.
The concept makes sense. Take the confusing mess of personal health care information and consolidate it all in a form that most people are familiar with: the ATM machine. The idea is to give people who don't have Internet access the ability to find information they need in an easy-to-use form.
Here's a short video with an explanation of how this all works:
CGU's website has more information on the new system.
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